


"Stop..."

by Anonymous_Cupcake



Series: Whumptober (Eiji Edition) [5]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Gen, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It's just really sad and that's all you need to know, Nightmares, Now with comfort, Okumura Eiji-centric, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26855755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Cupcake/pseuds/Anonymous_Cupcake
Summary: Prompts 6 ("stop, please") & 11 (Defiance/ Struggling/Crying)Ash isn't the only one that has nightmares.(Aftermath chapter added!)
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji
Series: Whumptober (Eiji Edition) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947514
Comments: 12
Kudos: 165





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I got a discord for people who want updates about my work or if you just want to chat about Banana Fish  
> https://discord.gg/SfWtu25bbH

"Stop, please…"

Eiji's not sure how much time has passed. A few minutes? A few hours? He doesn't know. All he can focus on is the hands. They won't stop  _ touching _ . They keep poking, prodding, and pulling at whatever they can get their disgusting hands on.

They're pulling his hair, trying to get him to look into their eyes filled with lust and greed. They're holding his hands above his head and no matter how hard Eiji pulls, they won't let go.

Their hands try to force his legs apart. He tries his best to keep them closed. He won't let them have their way. He won't let them, he won't let them,  _ he won't let them— _

"Stop!" he cries, closing his eyes as forceful hands wipe the tears away. They tease him, mock him, and the only thing Eiji can do is cry.

"Just stop…" he pleads as the hands keep touching, exploring his body to the point where it doesn't feel like his anymore. He sobs as the hands finally tear his legs apart.

Eiji opens his eyes, but he can't see anyone. There's only hands, all over him. His eyes widen as the hands begin slowly moving down, trailing over every aspect of his body.

"No no no no  _ no! _ " Eiji screams, kicking and pulling and doing everything he can to get them to stop. They somehow go even slower, and he can feel someone breathing down his neck.

He turns his head, but a hand forces it back. "Stop!" he continues to scream. There's a hand going through his hair and he wishes it would stop. He wants everything to  _ stop _ .

_ "Somebody help me!" _

When Eiji wakes up he doesn't scream or shoot up right like Ash. Instead, his eyes widen and he flinches. He's dangerously close to falling off the bed and the blanket wrapped around him so many times that he can barely get his hands out.

When he manages to free himself and kick it away, he turns to Ash. He's asleep, for once, a small smile on his peaceful face. For a moment he doesn't look real. Usually it's Ash who suffers during the night, kicking and crying and waking up with a scream.

Eiji stares at him for one more minute before wiping his tear stained face. If he leaves to wash his face, Ash will wake up. He grabs the blanket he tossed aside and wraps himself in it again, pressing his face into his pillow to muffle the sounds of his sobs.

"You're safe, you're with Ash, you're ok." he mumbles to himself. His body continues to shake as the ghostly presence of their hands continue to haunt him. "You're safe, you're safe."

He was having a hard time believing himself.


	2. A Happier Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash learns about Eiji's nightmares and decides to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I somehow managed to reference Cab Calloway don't judge—  
> (And if you're curious: specifically the Betty Boop Snow White version)

Ash was recognizing a pattern. Not all of his nightmares lead to a violent wake-up, and it gives him a chance to calm down without having to wake up Eiji. Whenever this happens, Ash discovers something new.

Eiji was beginning to have nightmares too.

Ash knows it's his fault. Eiji never had a reason to have nightmares until now. The things he's seen and had to do were horrible, and Ash wishes Eiji never had to experience it at all. And now, when Ash wakes up and keeps his back to Eiji, he'll hear him. He wakes with a gasp before shifting around, covering his sobs and whimpers in an attempt to hide his pain. Sometimes Ash will wake up to hear Eiji's muttering, begging for faceless beings to stop and let him go.

Eiji always tries to comfort him. Ash wants to do the same.

He waits for Eiji to wake up instead. It happens fairly quickly. The night after figuring it out, Ash hears Eiji wake up with a start. There's a ghost of a sob that follows and he hears Eiji shift around to hide his pain.

Ash turns around to face him. Eiji has most of his face pressed against the pillow. He freezes when he realizes Ash is staring at him.

"Nightmare?" Ash asks, even though he already knows. Surprisingly, Eiji shakes his head.

"I'm fine." he whispers, still shaking while his voice betrays him. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

It's obvious he's lying, but why?

"You know you can tell me if something's wrong, right?"

"I know, I know. There's nothing wrong, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Please, nothing's wrong." Eiji's voice doesn't match the words that come out of his mouth. He's holding back and it makes Ash hesitate. What if there's a reason he doesn't want Ash to know? What if something happened that he wasn't aware of and Eiji is trying to protect him from the knowledge? The idea pains him, especially after all the times he's described his nightmares to Eiji.

"If you knew nothing you'd say would upset me, would you tell me if something's wrong?"

Those words are what causes the dam to break.

"Yeah." Eiji nods as he gives up on holding back tears and begins to openly sob. Without missing a beat, Ash gets out of bed and goes next to Eiji. He kneels down and grabs Eiji's hand from under the blanket. "I wanna tell you. I really do."

"You can tell me." Ash whispers. How long has this been going on? How long has Eiji kept his feelings bottled up?

"Can you hold me?" Eiji asks, voice still soft and timid, and Ash can't say no to that. He lets go of Eiji's hand so he can get under the covers with him, almost ready to cry too when Eiji immediately wraps his arms around him. They stay like that for a bit as he gives Eiji a chance to compose himself.

"It's always the same one," Eiji starts once his breathing is less sporadic and begins to even out, "and I usually can't see but I can  _ feel _ . And it's all over and I can just feel hands all over me and I keep crying and begging and they just won't stop and—"

Eiji breaks down again as he recounts what happens in his nightmares. Ash holds him tighter as he cries. He never wanted Eiji to know this kind of pain. He never wanted Eiji to have nightmares like this. But it happened anyway, and the least Ash could do was help him through it.

"It's ok. They can't hurt you anymore." Ash reassures him. Eiji nods along weakly as Ash repeats phrases Eiji would tell him when he had nightmares. The words feel hollow when Ash says them, mainly because he still doesn't believe them. That's something they can both work on, believing each other.

An old memory resurfaces as Ash holds Eiji. Griff used to sing when Ash had a nightmare. He doesn't remember the words to any of the songs, and he curses internally at the thought. Instead, he tries singing an old song he heard once.

"Folks, I'm going down to St. James Infirmary," Ash mutters, fumbling over the words as he tries to remember the lyrics as he goes along. "To see my baby there."

His voice cracks slightly when he holds the long note and he laughs a little when he feels Eiji holding back his own laugh. "He's stretched out on a long white table. He's so sweet, so cold, so fair."

The pronoun changes are barely noticeable and Ash gets through the rest of the song without messing up. When he finishes, Eiji finally lets out the laugh he was holding in.

"You sing a song about death to make me feel better?" Eiji smiles, appreciating the attempt.

"Hey, you're smiling, aren't you?" Ash teases, and Eiji tries to bury his face in his neck to hide it.

"Yeah, I am. Thank you." The softness in his voice almost makes Ash melt. He quickly presses a small kiss on top of Eiji's head.

"I'll stay as long as you need me to." Ash reminds him, and Eiji gives him the slightest nod before falling asleep again. Ash takes it as a sign not to leave. Not like he can with Eiji clinging to him like he's a giant stuffed animal.

And if they wake up, limbs entangled, Ash on his back while Eiji is on top of him, it's no one's business but theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna start working on some Christmas fics but more Whump and extra comfort chapters will happen soon

**Author's Note:**

> So, how are y'all?


End file.
